Economic confidence on the upswing, biz exec says

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

A local business organization sees this year as a “year of possibilities” for local enterprises in the city and province of Iloilo driven mainly by an uptick in domestic activity amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Lea Lara, Executive Director of the Iloilo Business Club (IBC), told Daily Guardian on Air on Friday that Iloilo City and province face a lot of possibilities.

Lara said this is due to a more energized domestic activity, which she thinks was still strong despite the pandemic still threatening the world.

 

“Again, [like last year,] it’s a year of possibilities for us. We see a lot of domestic activity, and I think it’s a good advantage for us, or you take something that’s positive out of the things that are happening right now. It is really the support to local business establishments and the trading, support of local products. We are building towards looking at models,” Lara said.

 

She suggested that national and local regulatory agencies should take note of local enterprises that they can help become full-fledged Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).

She added that building a “good base” of local enterprises would protect local economic activity from the effects of global and national happenings, saying that while they are still being affected by the pandemic, they can still be flexible in their strategies.

She mentioned one of the local hotels in Iloilo City selling fresh, locally grown vegetables in their premises.

 

“I think it’s a start if our agencies take down the potential products which they can assist to become a regular SME later on. One of the advantages of Iloilo is that we are many, and that is the importance of coming with a good base of local enterprises, because even if many things happen worldwide, we can still turn to local business establishments for these things,” she said.

 

Lara said that since news of the approval and administration of COVID-19 vaccines in other countries in December 2020 and the downtrend in local COVID-19 cases, mobility in the city grew, a sign of increased business confidence in the city.

 

“I think the confidence is building since last December. We were surprised that within just one week, the volume of the people in our commercial districts. We are not seeing that the vaccine will be a huge help if ever, and we are not seeing that the health protocols will go away after vaccination. It’s a way, like a continued transition, to achieving that normal level again, to a ‘new normal’ post-COVID,” she said.

 

 

VACCINES FOR PRIVATE SECTOR

Lara also discussed the participation of the IBC, among other local business groups, in the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines for their workers.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas earlier said that he was also seeking to buy vaccines for workers in city-based enterprises who were not registered residents of the city.

Treñas recently signed a deal with British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca for 600,000 vials of the AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccines, equivalent to 300,000 persons to be vaccinated.

He said that this was based on the number of registered voters in the city.

Lara said Treñas expressed concerns for non-resident workers in the city’s business establishments.

The IBC, according to her, distributed COVID-19 vaccination survey forms to its members on Monday.

The survey aims to gather information on the coverage and the companies’ possible plans to conduct their own vaccination programs for their employees.

The information gathered would be given to the city government to assist officials in their decision-making on the vaccination effort.

They will be releasing another round of forms later on such as for consent and related waivers.

Lara said companies also expressed their own concerns, citing Section 11 of Republic Act No. 11058 or the law on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Standards.

Sec. 11 mandates that workers have the right to be provided “adequate and suitable information” on safety and health hazards and appropriate measures.

 

“The city government does have consent forms ready, but companies’ concerns are about OSH because the law states that workers have to be informed on the medicines given in the course of their work. But I think we will be addressing those concerns later on,” Lara said.

 

She also said that they may also have a dialogue on possible requirements of employers and government authorities to require workers to undergo vaccination for their employment.

 

“That’s the questions which are needed to be threshed out, because there’s also the eventuality to be achieved, it’s a strategy probably which I personally anticipate the national government to require companies to do. I think, if ever, there has to be a dialogue on this, because it is also a person’s right [to refuse], so we have to respect that one. It’s one of the areas being looked at.”